Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities endanger women with risky, unsupervised chemical abortions, writes Dr. Michael New at National Review:
The number of abortion facilities in the United States has been declining, and many midwestern and southern states have few abortion clinics left. In response, supporters of legal abortion have advanced some medically risky proposals to expand abortion access. For instance, in 2013, the California state legislature passed a bill allowing nurses and midwives, in addition to doctors, to perform abortions. In 2008, Planned Parenthood in Iowa began offering “telemed” abortions – chemical abortions administered to patients who ingest abortion-inducing medication without a physician physically present. In 2016, abortion facilities in Maine also started offering telemed abortions.
Many people are concerned about the safety of this type of abortion procedure. In fact, 19 states have passed legislation banning the practice, putting supporters of legal abortion on the defensive. Last week, the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology published a study, which purports to show that telemed abortions taking place in Iowa are as safe as medical abortions performed under the supervision of a physician. The study has received sympathetic coverage from a number of media outlets, including HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Iowa Public Radio.
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